The Renaissance at War

Cassell History of Warfare

by Thomas F. Arnold

The Renaissance at War

Toward the end of the fifteenth century, modern artillery and portable firearms became the signature weapons of European armies, radically altering the nature of warfare. The new arms transformed society, too, as cities were built and rebuilt to limit the effects of bombardment by cannon. This book follows these far-reaching changes in comprehensive and fascinating detail and demonstrates how the innovations of the Renaissance paved the way to further changes in warfare.


An in-depth technical look at the weaponry of the age and the tactical drills that honed the skills of Renaissance soldiers


The epic wars abroad between Western Christians and the Muslim Turks Civil strife at home between despotic rulers and rebellious forces


Kingly duels that play out on an international stage

Genres: History, Military History, War, 16th Century, Nonfiction, Renaissance, European History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the first 3/4 of this book are particularly helpful, Arnold looses focus toward the end, and never really concludes anything. In fact, I had to check the page numbers to make sure my edition wasn't missing an ending!
That said, this is an excellent reference book, and Arnold does a particularly nice job of contextualizing Renaissance fears of the Middle East. I had never realized that the threat of the Ottomans was anything other than paranoia... I now better understand the blatant racism that the early modern English levied at the Ottomans was not held in a vacuum; the threat of invasion was not only real, it happened in several places, sometimes even permanently.
Furthermore, anyone interested in the nature of warfare in the middle of the 1500s will find a wealth of information both practical and tactical.

[Anton Gladchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хорошая книга для старта. Богатый иллюстративный материал (отдельное достоинство), море полезной информации общего характера. В общем, работа Арнольда мне кажется хорошей точкой для начали изучения войн XVI века.

При этом стоит отметить, что первая половина книги получилась удачнее второй. Системно, с выводами. Во второй части автор уходит больше в хронологию и повествование становится хаотичным. А каких-то выводов и заключений по каждой из тем и вовсе нет. Но это все во многом вытекает из формата книги. Порядка 200 страниц с морем иллюстраций, а сам период охватывается огромный.

Как человеку, который предпочитает войны Древней Греции и Рима, мне было особенно интересно читать о том, как во времена Ренессанса военные мужи обращались к столь приятной моему сердцу эпохе. И как из этого (и не только этого) у них рождались совершенно новые идеи.

Вообще, войны Ренессанса выглядят просто сюрреалистично. Это особенно заметно на картинах того времени (которых достаточно много в книге). Здесь у нас и атака классической рыцарской кавалерии, и активное использование артиллерии (а от обилия видов голова идет кругом!), тренированная пехота и совершенно новый подход к осадному делу. В общем, самая настоящая гремучая смесь.

[Anton Tomsinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some years ago this book fell victim to its lavish design. I spent a great deal of time over detailed battle maps, paintings, tapestries and engravings without reading the text itself. It was a mistake as I realise now. The text is a very well structured summary of an era, a short one, but with interesting details here and there. A solid example of the way such books should be written.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of great info that I've never seen about this time. The maps and timelines of specific battles is great. There are also great art with captions explaining each with facts not in the book text itself so they were added to the book for reason, not just because they look pretty-which in the majority the are.

[Rob Markley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really delivery on the title, rather specializes on aspects of warfare in the latter period after the renaissance had largely moved on from Italy. But the renaissance IS Italy - needed to zone in earlier with the Condottieri etc

[Anubis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic booklet.

While the read in itself is nothing special, the book is filled with great pictures, from battle formations, maps, fortifications etc... that just make it a really enjoyable read and lets your imagination go.

[Rob Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the detail, maps, diagrams, and timelines. Fascinating look on how warfare evolved as a function of the Renaissance.

[Kjǫlsigʀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays eloquently accompanied by quality photo and map documentation.

[Alistair Follansbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnold covers military technology (the introduction of gunpowder), organization, tactics (to a certain degree), politics, and religious conflicts between Europe and the Middle East, and within Europe itself during the Renaissance. Better yet, it's easy to understand and well-organized especially in regards to the chronological order of things. It's far too easy for dates and years to become a muddled mess when reading history, but Arnold manages to keep things separate while he follows his chosen subject matter.
Also included in the book are a series of maps showing the stages of various battles and sieges. As a visual aid it's an invaluable accompaniment to the text.

While not particularly long (only 240pp), I've found this book to be very helpful in showing me where else to look and what to look for while researching Renaissance warfare.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and broad perspective on Renaissance military history, specifically the interconnection of technology, politics, philosophy, and religion (both interreligious and intrareligious concerns). A basic familiarity with the people and places of Renaissance Europe would help keep everything in context, but the author does a good job of developing series of events in sensible ways that a good reader can put all together for the big picture. The author makes excellent use of Renaissance art depicting various arms and armor and battles, specifically pointing out details that are relevant to the topics of each chapter.

[Skallagrimsen]

For the interested amateur, this book provides an accessible overview of warfare in the European Renaissance. For the military historian, it remains a valuable reference. Tactics, strategy, logistics, weaponry, underlying imperial, economic and religious rivalries--no facet of period conflicts gets neglected. Copious analysis and vivid illustrations bring an almost cinematic quality to its description of selected battles.

All of the other books in the Cassell History of Warfare series that I've read followed much the same formula. The entire series would seem to be of comparable quality.

[Tirant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book that explains warfare in the renaissance. With scores of pictures, illustrations, and charts, the period is covered quite well, and the reader is left with a good overview of the period, and perhaps more importantly, a hunger for more knowledge about the era.

[Craig Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history book. I found the later chapters (on the various religious motived for renaissance wars) far less interesting than the descriptions of how the way wars were fought changed during this time period.

[Brave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for class. I didn't particularly enjoy it because I don't really care for the subject matter (warring more like boring), but it was readable and not totally uninteresting. I'm not going to give it a star rating, because I'm not even sure how to rate it.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first rate book and good introduction so long as you have some background knowledge. My quibbles are with the discussion of the Armada (nothing on Dutch efforts to defeat it or English failures to follow it up) and the lack of a conclusion.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anoother warfare book with excellent illustrations

[Jim]

Bad

[Steven]

The Smithsonian series is well worth the read. Solid overview info.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look at the Renaissance warfare - brings into focus the different evolutions and their context. Informative.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was one of my key sources for my Senior thesis. Great research done and great examples and explanations given. Laid out in a sensible timeline and very descriptive. I love it.

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good introduction to the topic. Lovely imagery.